Green plans
Extra hands were hired in Bot River and Rudi’s starting point was to knock pegs into the ground. He stretched tape around them and stood back to get an idea of what it would look like. Once they’d made a few adjustments and were satisfied with the measurements, the foundations were dug and poured. Thereafter, the first beams were planted to provide the home’s structure. Once the walls had been built, Rudi and his team laid the white concrete floors for the lower level.
The kids’ bedroom walls on the upper level were built with pine beams that provide better insulation. They also look natural, perfectly complement the surroundings and provide added texture. The pine is treated with boron to protect it against beetles and rotting, a greener method than the chemicals traditionally used.
And so their dream home set against a slope started to become a reality – a few months later, they were able to move in.
Is there anything they would have done differently now that they’ve lived here for four years? “Yes, the flooring in the upper level is wood, which creaks when you walk on it,” says Karen. “We should rather have used concrete. And because the entire lower level is one open space, there’s nowhere for the children to play on their own or hang out. This might become a problem when they get older.”
The beams that form the structure of the house are a combination of Australian blackwood, blue gum and pine.
Rudi says they have removed lots of invasive trees on the farm over the years to allow the natural veld and fynbos to recover. The blackwood, an alien species that invades river courses and fynbos in particular, isn’t from the farm itself, but the blue gum was felled on their land.
The stone that was used for the walls also comes from the farm. Rudi and Karen weren’t keen to transport building materials from elsewhere, thus creating a huge carbon footprint.
The couple do their best to live in tune with their environment. They’re avid recyclers and use wood and gas instead of electricity as much as they can. “We wash our laundry with rainwater and our house faces north with big windows to let in lots of sun in winter. This also allows us to make less use of heaters.
“We built the fireplace with openings on both sides and chose large stainless-steel chimney flues for better heat distribution. In this way, the rooms on the upper floor are also heated by the fireplace on the lower level,” explains Karen.
Rudi says the shutters above the glass panes were installed at an angle of 33 degrees so that the sun shines through in winter but is blocked in summer. In addition, the roof overhang is wide enough to prevent the sun from baking the house in the summer months. The couple planted deciduous trees on the west-facing side of the house that provide protection from the summer sun but let light and warmth in during winter. >>